Mike Vickers' "I Wish I Were a Group Again" by Tosh Berman

 

Mike Vickers' "I Wish I Were a Group Again " by Tosh Berman

Wallace Berman and Sgt. Pepper by Tosh Berman

 

Wallace Berman and Sgt. Pepper

The Free Spirits - "Out of Sight and Sound" 1967, Vinyl (ABC Records)

I purchased this used album due to the front cover's groovy aspect and even more so to its title, "Out of Sight and Sound." The Free Spirits are basically a jazz band. Two guitars, electric bass, drums, vocals, and Saxophone/flute. To me, the album yells out mid-60s Manhattan, and I see The Free Spirits fitting in into the world of The Fugs and The Velvet Underground. Over anything else, I'm intrigued when jazz-heads do rock. The known musicians on this album are the guitarist Larry Coryell and sax player Jim Pepper, who, by the way, is excellent on this record. 

"Out of Sight and Sound" was produced by Bob Thiele and engineered by the great Rudy Van Gelder at his tremendous and legendary studio in Englewoods Cliffs in New Jersey. The Free Spirits do twelve songs, I presume, in the hopes of getting a hit of some sort. Live, they stretch out like a jazz band, so the tension between the jazz mentality and pop is at its contrasting postures. 

The album is not by any means a masterpiece but a great work of curiosity. For those who love The Lovin' Spoonful, The Velvets, and The Fugs, I think this record needs to be placed in that post-hippie but right before the music world became totally dull. Coryell, the music director of this band, became a significant jazz guitarist in the jazz world. Here he put his talents to the rock n' roll medium and tried to stretch it to something new at the time. I love 1967. 

The Marmalade -"Man In A Shop" Vinyl 45 rpm Single, 1967 (Epic)

 

The Marmalade is not a Scottish band with a lot of character. There is a good song here and there, but then there is Man in a Shop, a record I have been obsessing with for the past 12 months. It's strange how a song or recording hits you when you at least expect it. I think I was intrigued just by the title; what does it mean to be a man in a shop? Before we go into that subject matter, it is best to describe The Marmalade's music as very radio (at least in the UK) friendly with touches of Roy Wood's The Move mixed with the vocal abilities of The Hollies. Which sounds good on paper, but they don't have the Roy Wood genius of writing tunes. Still, they came up with Man in a Shop. 

The song is full-on psychedelic chamber-pop with a certain amount of sadness—a cocktail of a tune that I couldn't avoid at any cost. I don't know if MIAS was a hit or not, but I don't understand how such a brilliant piece of earworm music could have failed. Reading the lyrics off the computer screen seems to be about a male shop owner who runs a clothing boutique for women, and is soft (in the head? Sexually?) and is lonely. There is a crowd of girls outside looking at the display window and admiring the mannequin or doll wearing the clothes for sale. He puts up a new dummy in the window and throws the old one into the basement. One can also read that this is about a psycho-killer. There is a weird communication between the kids outside the shop and the man (very much) inside. 

The song opens with an electric guitar playing backward. Any record that starts off with a backward guitar is more likely be a masterpiece as a rule. And then when you add trumpets to the backward guitar, well, you're close to God. Even though I have my suspicions about this 'man in a shop.'

Here are the lyrics:

Here's a tale of a man in a shop, who was

Kinda soft and liked to, dream all day

In the day a loving man in a shop, there are

Lots of things that I would, like to say, about loneliness

There's a little crowd of kids formed 'round my window

They've all come to see my Princess, ain't she beautiful

You can tell, by their smiles

What she means to their, little minds

She like's something out of, one of them child rhymes

There's a crowd of little girls now, 'round my window

They all like the clothes she wears lying there beautiful

You can tell by their smiles

That they like the style but not the price

That they, would have to pay, to live like her

Just a tale of man in a shop, who was

Kinda soft and liked to, dream all day

In the day a loving man in a shop, there are

Lots of things that I would, like to say, about loneliness

There's a lovely new girl in my window

Threw the old one in the cellar, ain't that pitiful

Maybe he can make more dough

Since he's to change the girl, we don't know

We will just have to wait, and see

That's my tale of a man in a shop, who was

Kinda soft and liked to, dream all day

In the tale of a man in a shop, there are 

Lots things that I have, had to say

- W. Campbell and S. MacLeese

The Prisoner in Lockdown

 

It's very moving and odd at the same time to watch "The Prisoner" during lockdown mode. I'm now committed to watching the entire series in order, and it's a pleasure to return home. I get a great sense of comfort in knowing that No. 6 is outsmarting his captors in such a brilliant and funny manner. I understand the pleasures of such shows as "Columbo," but oddly enough, the show doesn't give me pleasure anymore. Still, "The Prisoner" is something I can watch over and over again, and it seems to open up a different emotional response from me. I love the setting of the Village, but I also love the clothing. Such as khaki pants, tennis shoes, a turtleneck shirt, a jacket with white border-lapels, and trimmings. All of it makes great sense to me. Lockdown life made bearable for me. -Tosh Berman.

Wallace Berman on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band album cover

 

My father, Wallace Berman, on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album cover.  I believe the original photo is from Dean Stockwell. 

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967 - Kohn Gallery

 

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967

800.00

Now available limited edition vintage poster from the estate of Wallace Berman. Offset poster published by John Martin. Dimensions are 25 x 22inches

Wallace Berman, BOOSTER, 1967

"The History of Rock: 1967" by Uncut Magazine

"The History of Rock/1967" by Uncut Magazine

How can anyone who is not touched by pop music, can possibly avoid the publications edited by Uncut, that focuses on one year in rock, via the original articles from Melody Maker and New Musical Express.   The issue I have just read, "1967," is simply fascinating.   It was the year of "Smiley Smile," "Sgt. Pepper" and "Magical Mystery Tour," along with the dark psych sounds of the Stones' "Their Santanic Majesties Request."   On one level, it is like traveling back in time, but for me, it is being in the 'now, ' and looking back to the past.   The two previous issues "1965" and "1966" one sees a progression of the old style of pop writing, which is basically a PR for the music business.   "1966" you start getting more journalistic approach to the music world, as it got more serious and baroque like.   "1967" is the first year of Technocolor for the pop world.  The previous years were very much like a black and white film.  

Jimi Hendrix, who is the cover figure for "1967" is the perfect example of color (not only skin) becoming prominent in that culture.   A lot of clothing from that period looks like left-over designs from the turn of the century, but now in living color.   The Stones were always either in muted or dark colors or black and white, but "Santanic" album is one of bright colors.   Scott Walker with the Walker Brothers featured greatly in '65 and '66, but one would think of them as black and white as well.    So overall, pop in the 60's became one of color, when before, it was dark shades of gray or stark black and white.   Also one notice that the major Dylan presence in '65 and '66 is non-existent in 1967.   Yet, his sense of adventure is everywhere in pop music at the time.

And singles are still important, but albums are making a strong aesthetic stand in 1967.  "Pepper" is like a novel, and so is the Stones "Santanic" album, and if one reads carefully, the death of Brian Epstein sort of brings in the end of the manager superstar.  "1965" was sort of a new world, and '66 was a time of exploring, but 1967 was a year of spiritual awareness or curiosity (especially for the Fab Four), and one gets the impression by reading this publication that everything was about to end.  In what way, no one knew.   One thing that is interesting, is that questioning in the interviews with the many artists are in a serious vein.    Some on war, but a lot of chatting among the press and the artist on the subject matter of drugs (mostly due to the Stones being busted that year) as well as God.

In "1967" we are introduced to The Monkees, Bee Gees, Cream, Traffic, The Who, The Move, Syd's Pink Floyd and the first pop festival, Monterey. .    A touch of flower power as well.  Everything was peaking, but then, it dimmed quickly.

Jon Savages's "Lost Boys"

Jon Savage in today's Guardian wrote a nice little piece on "The Lost Boys." They are



Brian Epstein



Joe Meek



Joe Orton


All three died in 1967.

Read the article here:

http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/comment/story/0,,2158800,00.html